Season of Love
by MyImmortal329
Summary: Everything happens for a reason. Plans change. Hearts break. When Carol Mason gets a fateful phone call in the middle of the night, she knows her life is about to change. What she doesn't know is that she's about to meet the one man who just might show her the beauty that can rise from the ashes of complete heartbreak.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead. The characters belong to the creators of the television show and the graphic novels.

Season of Love

Chapter 1

 _December 12_

"Taxi! Please!" Carol huffed as she nearly tripped over her own feet on the slick Atlanta sidewalk. "Please!" She dropped her phone, and it went skirting across the ice. "Shit!" She slipped and fell to her knees as she reached for her phone, and she cried out in pain just as a taxi cab squealed to a stop. She heard the door open, footsteps scuffling across the snow and then she felt a pair of hands on her arms.

"You ok, Ma'am?" She groaned softly, letting him help her stand, and she straightened up to look into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. "Ma'am?"

"Yes. Sorry. Shit. I'm ok. I think. Are you, are you stopping for me?"

"Well, when I see a lady slidin' down the sidewalk, I ain't gonna keep drivin'," he chuckled, pushing his shaggy hair out of his eyes.

"Well, it wasn't that bad," Carol scoffed. "I slipped."

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah. I'm ok. I'm glad you stopped." She wiped her hands on the front of her coat. She noticed the light on his cab was off, and she frowned. "Are you off duty?"

"Yeah, I was about to call it a night, but if ya need to get someplace, I'd be happy to take ya."

"I couldn't ask you to do that. I'll need a ride home. See, my car's in the shop, and I don't normally need a cab, but I have to get to the hospital and home. I can call someone. I just, I was in a hurry."

"I ain't in no hurry. This is just a temporary gig, anyway. I got time." Carol managed a thankful smile.

"I don't know how long I'll be. See, I'm going to…" Her eyes widened. "Oh God."

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot everything. I left everything at home." She began to panic, then, and she reached for her cell phone as her breathing quickened. "Oh God. I can't believe this."

"Hey. Wait a minute. Where's your house?"

"Three blocks. I walked, waiting for a cab, and I just…"

"Get in. C'mon, it's freezin' out here."

"You really don't have to do this," Carol insisted.

"I know I don't. C'mon. Let's go." He opened up the back door for her, and she gave him a grateful if not overwhelmed smile.

"Thank you so much."

"Daryl."

"Daryl," she smiled. "Thank you, Daryl. I'm Carol."

"Nice to meet ya." He nodded for her to get in, and she slipped into the backseat. He climbed behind the wheel and pulled a U-turn in the direction he'd seen her walking from. "What's got you runnin' outside in the middle of the night?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she offered, running her fingers through her short, auburn locks. She had a fair amount of silver peppered through her hair that seemed to shine in the pale moonlight. She rubbed her hands together for warmth. She saw him glance at her in the rear view mirror.

"Try me." She smiled a little and shook her head.

"I'm not even sure _I_ believe it just yet. This is the place." Daryl pulled up to the quaint, two-story home with a white fence lining the yard. "You sure you don't mind to wait?"

"Go on. I got time." He nodded toward the house, and Carol quickly slipped out of the car and hurried up the steps, fidgeting with her cell phone the whole way. He watched her put the phone to her ear, gesturing emphatically as she tried to unlock her front door. When she got inside, the windows flooded with light, and he could see the colorful lights on a Christmas tree sparkle to life. He saw her shadow flitting about the place, and within a few minutes, she came out with a bag draped over one shoulder and some large, clunky item hanging from one hand. As she approached the taxi, he realized what she was carrying, and he quickly got out to help her with her things.

"Tell me you didn't forget your kid."

"What?" Carol asked. "Oh. This. This is empty." She slid the car seat into the back seat and tossed the diaper bag in, too. "Ok. I'm ready now."

"You sure? You need anything else?"

"No, I think I got everything." She took a couple of shaky breaths, and Daryl turned around in the drive.

"Grady Memorial?"

"Yeah," she panted, sending out a quick text.

"Who's havin' the baby?"

"Huh?"

"The diaper bag. Car seat."

"Oh," she murmured. "That'd be me." Daryl glanced at her as if she'd grown a second head. She smiled a little. "Told you you wouldn't believe me." She leaned back in her seat and ran her hands over her face. "What time is it?"

"Two thirty. You picked a hell of a time to have a baby. We got another storm comin'. Worst one Atlanta's seen in thirty years."

"I know," Carol murmured anxiously. "You don't have to wait for me. I can get someone to bring me home." She tapped out another text on her phone. "God, it's too early."

"Forgive me for statin' the obvious, but ya don't look like you're 'bout to have a baby." He cleared his throat. "Boy or girl?"

"I'm not sure yet." She took a shaky breath. "A social worker calls me at two in the morning and tells me to hurry, so I hurry. It's two weeks early. Baby wasn't due until after Christmas." Her words shook in her throat.

"Your first?"

"Yeah." She wrung her hands together. "You have kids?"

"Dodged a couple bullets. I ain't married."

"Neither am I," Carol murmured. "Not anymore."

"So, you're adopting?" He glanced at her in the mirror. "That's awesome."

"Yeah," Carol murmured.

"Ya don't sound so sure."

"I'm not so sure about anything. I've never done this before." She bit her trembling lip as Daryl pulled up outside of Grady Memorial Hospital.

"Do ya drink?"

"Huh?"

"Do ya drink."

"I like wine. Maybe a glass a day."

"You do drugs?"

"Excuse me? No!"

"Then you're already a better parent than my folks were. You'll be fine."

"Well," Carol murmured, "thanks for the vote of confidence. Daryl pulled up to the front entrance and cut the engine. He got out and helped Carol gather her things.

"Want me to help ya with these?"

"You really don't have to. I've got it." She smiled at him.

"So, you're gonna go meet your kid? That's kinda crazy if ya think about it."

"Crazy. Exciting," Carol chuckled. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. I just don't…" She shook her head. "I had a plan of how this was going to go. It was going to be perfect. Now I can barely remember my name or how to put one foot in front of the other."

"Maybe that's how it's s'posed to feel," Daryl offered.

"Thank you for the ride, Daryl. I appreciate this." She put down the car seat and fished into her pocket for a couple of twenties. Daryl shook his head. "I have to pay you."

"No ya don't. Off duty, remember? This one's on me. Merry Christmas." Carol felt tears well in her eyes, and she took a shaking breath.

"Merry Christmas. Thank you, Daryl." She turned then, gathering the car seat and starting toward the hospital doors. Daryl leaned against the side of the taxi and pulled a cigarette from the pack in his front pocket. He lit it up and took a long drag, contemplating getting back into the cab and heading home. It was late, and he was tired of driving miserable assholes around all day. But Carol had been the bright spot of his last twenty-four hours. She intrigued him. Now, all he wanted to do was stick around and see how this all played out. A part of him felt as if he'd become a part of this story. Maybe ten years from now she wouldn't remember the guy that stopped and gave her a ride to the hospital on the night her kid was born, but he was pretty certain this was a night he would never forget.

...

Carol was trembling by the time she stepped off the elevator and onto the maternity floor. A waiting room was just to the left of the elevators, and a young woman in a smart suit sat with a briefcase draped across her lap. The second Carol stepped off the elevator with the diaper bag and an empty car seat, she stood.

"You must be Carol," she said warmly. "I'm Andrea. I'm the one that woke you from what was probably a pretty sound sleep."

"That's ok," Carol chuckled. "I'm glad you called. The baby's here? ?"

"Baby's here. Born about six hours ago."

"Is..is everything ok?"

"Birth mom is doing well, and the baby's got a healthy set of lungs," Andrea smiled.

"What do I need? I…I'm not sure how all of this goes?"

"Well, the birth mom's already signed off on the adoption. She has ten days to change her mind."

"Ten days. That feels like a long time."

"With a newborn, it'll either feel like an hour or a century," Andrea promised with a smile. "Don't worry. I understand your lawyer's been very active in this adoption."

"And she knows, right? She knows I'm a single mom. That I'm a writer? That I…"

"Relax. She's a very sweet, very nervous young woman. She told me personally that she read your profile a dozen times. She was raised by a single mom, and she knows what a struggle that is, but her mother is very active in her life and very loving, and she has a lot of respect for women doing things on their own."

"And the father? I was told the father's involved."

"Yes. He's here. He's also signed over his rights. He's very supportive of everything."

"Have they…have they seen the baby?"

"That was the plan. They wanted to see the baby. Take pictures. But at the last minute, they changed their minds. They did ask me to give you this." Andrea handed Carol an envelope. "The birth parents have ten days to change their mind, but I don't see that happening. What will happen is that I'll be coming by for two separate visits over the next two months. It's required by law in order for the adoption to be finalized. You have already been cleared for adoption. The rest is just red tape and procedure. Don't worry."

"What happens now?"

"Now, we go meet your baby." Carol took a deep breath and nodded. "You have a healthy baby girl."

"A girl," Carol breathed. "She's…she's a girl." Carol put her hand to her chest, and Andrea put her hand on her shoulder.

"Breathe, Mom."

"Mom. God, she's gonna call me Mom."

"And what are you gonna call her?" Andrea watched Carol blink back the tears. As Carol wiped away her tears, she smiled.

"Sophia."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _"It's gonna happen, honey. These things take time," Ed murmured, rubbing his wife's back as they sat there staring down at yet another negative pregnancy test._

 _"We've been married three years, Ed," Carol sighed. "My periods are like clockwork. I don't understand. I've bought the ovulation kits. I've done everything the books say to do to help our chances. Maybe we should go to a fertility clinic. Maybe they could give us some answers." Ed scoffed and stood up, moving across the room to lean against the bathroom counter. He folded his arms across his chest and stared over at his wife who wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands._

 _"Don't need a damned doctor to tell me what I know. It'll happen when it's time, Carol. You gotta stop worrying about it."_

 _"You're right," she sighed. "It'll happen when it's supposed to." She tossed the test into the trash bin by the toilet. "We just have to be patient."_

...

"Sophia Anne Mason," Carol murmured as the nurse jotted the name down for the birth certificate. "What does she look like?" She peered around the nurse as if she could get a glimpse of her baby that way. The nurse smiled.

"She's beautiful. She's got big, blue eyes. You know, I think she might have your nose." Carol smiled at that. "She's got a little bit of light brown hair. Long fingers. Eats like a champ."

"Has someone been with her?"

"We've spoiled her a little," the nurse promised with a grin.

"So I can just take her home? Just like that?" Carol asked softly, glancing to Andrea.

"Just like that," Andrea chuckled. "The doctor's already signed off on her release."

"And we're tucking some pre-made bottles into the diaper bag. Have you ever taken care of a newborn before?"

"My friend had a baby once. I babysat a couple times."

"Well, if you have any questions, we're packing up a list of phone numbers. The one at the top is a direct line to our nurse's station. If you have any questions, call us. Do you have a crib?"

"The nursery's already done," Carol admitted. "I've been waiting for this for a while."

"A lot of people do," the nurse offered softly. "Want me to go get your baby?"

"Yes, please," Carol murmured. "Thank you." The nurse smiled and turned to go get the baby. Carol sat down in a chair close to the door and looked up at Andrea.

"What if they change their minds?"

"They won't."

"It could happen."

"You can't think like that," Andrea insisted. "I've spoken with the birth parents. They are one hundred percent behind their decision."

"Is there anything you can tell me about them? Something I can tell Sophia about them when she's older?"

"They said everything they wanted you to know is in that letter. I would suggest reading it when you get home." Andrea gave her a little smile.

"I wish I could have met them," Carol admitted. "I know I went into this wanting a closed adoption. Private. But now a part of me wishes I could see them and talk to them so I could tell Sophia about them someday." She shook her head.

"They don't want contact," Andrea offered. "The mother would rather there be a clean break. The moment the baby was born, the nurses took her to a separate room. It's easier for her this way."

"I understand," Carol nodded. She sniffled. "You know, I'd given up hope this would ever happen for me."

"Sadly, that's the case for a lot of people. I like to think when it does happen, it happens at the exact right moment. This baby's parents picked you. They want you to raise their baby. They want you to be her mother, to teach her everything she needs to know. So whatever fear you're feeling right now, just remember that. This is _your_ little girl, and from the moment you hold her and see her little face, you're going to know that _this_ baby was meant to be."

Carol took a shaking breath.

"I need to sit down."

"Honey, you're already sitting down," Andrea chuckled.

"Oh." Carol nodded then, and when the doors opened, she stood on shaking legs. The nurse cradled a tiny bundle in her arms, gently supporting the head that was covered with a little pink hat. It was crocheted with a little purple flower on the side. Carol could barely see the little one, but her little pink face poked out from her swaddling, and she opened her mouth in a sleepy yawn.

"Sophia, it's time to meet your mommy," the nurse whispered. Carol's hands shook, and she felt her heart met the moment she placed her hand on the back of the baby's head. She took her, awkwardly adjusting her in her arms, holding her close to her chest. She heard a little sigh escape the baby, and she felt her tiny feet kicking at the swaddling. She fussed then, and Carol felt frozen to the floor, unable to move or breathe.

"It's ok," Andrea urged. "She's yours." Carol gently shifted the baby and peeled back a bit of her blanket to reveal the hand-made sleeper she was in. She looked to Andrea. "Her birth mother made it for her. If you don't want it, we can…"

"No, no, she should have it," Carol whispered. "It's beautiful. And I think she might want it someday." She kissed the top of the baby's head, breathing in that new baby smell. "Oh my God, she smells so good."

"Enjoy it," the nurse chuckled. "That intoxicating newborn smell goes away. Just be prepared for that. I've got three kids of my own at home, and just getting them to bathe is like pulling a tiger's tooth." Carol chuckled at that, and she blinked back tears as she looked down at her little girl's face. She stared at her for such a long time, submitting to memory every little detail. The baby's red little lips, her button nose, her long eyelashes, and her little tongue, white from formula. She was perfect and warm and so incredibly tiny.

"She's so light," Carol whispered.

"Five pounds, nine ounces," the nurse beamed. "Nineteen inches long. She's a dainty little thing."

"I don't know how to do this," Carol whispered. "She's counting on me to not screw her up."

"Honey," the nurse laughed, "all she's counting on right now is you keeping her safe and warm and fed. The rest will work itself out in time. Our babies don't come with instruction manuals. Neither did we, and our parents did alright, huh?"

"Good point," Carol laughed. "Maybe she should stay overnight. Maybe it's too soon to take her."

"She's fine, honey. You'll feel better once you get her home. Don't worry. We're just a phone call away."

...

Carol stood in the elevator with both hands gripping the handle on the car seat. She couldn't take her eyes off of that perfect little baby, and she still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that this was her baby, that she was taking her baby home, and that this baby was going to grow up to call her mom.

When the elevator doors opened, it was nearly four thirty in the morning. She knew she needed to call someone to come pick her up, because she knew the chances of getting a cab to the hospital promptly at this hour were slim.

She was giving it some thought when she stepped off of the elevator, and as she rounded the corner to the front lobby, she was shocked to find the kind stranger who'd given her a ride to the hospital just a couple of hours ago.

"Daryl?"

"Hey, congrats! I see pink. A girl?"

"Sophia," Carol smiled. "What are you still doing here?"

"I figured you might need a ride home."

"You waited?"

"I got coffee and stale gas station donuts from down the street. Thought you might need some. Coffee, I mean. The donuts were pretty bad." He got a smile out of her.

"I know people. I can get someone to bring me home."

"I'm already here," he said with a shrug. "I mean, you said it yourself. Your car's in the shop. 'Sides, I'm already awake. You really wanna call one of your friends, drag 'em outta bed on a day like this? We're gonna get snow, ya know?"

"Yeah, so I heard," she chuckled. "You really don't mind?"

"If I minded, I'd already be in bed right now."

"Alright," she sighed. "I won't argue. I'm exhausted, and I just want to get her home where it's warm."

"She's tiny. Kinda looks like you, too," he offered, peeking into the car seat.

"That's impossible."

"She's got your nose." Carol couldn't help but smile at that. "You need some help puttin' the car seat in?"

"I think I can get it. I've been practicing in my car for the past month." She paused. "The past eight months since." Daryl chuckled at that, and he was impressed at how quickly she got the car seat fastened into place. She gave it a little jiggle to make sure it wasn't budging, and then she gave Daryl a charming smile. "See?"

"Sounds like you got it. Lemme help with that." He took the baby's diaper bag, and slid it onto the floor board, while Carol got in on the other side to sit next to the baby.

Daryl was quiet for the first few minutes. Carol was completely absorbed with looking at her beautiful baby girl. Finally, as he turned out of the hospital parking lot, Daryl cleared his throat.

"So, they just let you take the kid? Just like that?"

"Huh? Well, not just like that. It's all kind of a blur at this moment," she admitted. "Lots of lawyer fees, lots of home visits, lots of paperwork and background checks. A lot of headaches and heartaches. But she's worth every bit of it." She smiled and leaned her head back, yawning as she took a sip of the coffee Daryl had given her. "This is good."

"Not bad for gas station coffee," Daryl offered with a nod. "You gonna be ok? Temperature's dropped at least ten degrees since we got to the hospital."

'We'll be fine," Carol promised. "I've got it all under control. I've been waiting for her for a very long time." She glanced at Daryl in the mirror. "You never had children?"

"Well, I ain't never found nobody I cared about enough to wanna settle down with, let alone make a couple kids with. Just figured if that person every comes along, it'll be worth the wait." He eyed Carol in the mirror. "I think it's awesome you took things into your own hands."

"Oh, it wasn't awesome doing it alone. Not all of it," Carol insisted. "It's hard. It's emotionally brutal. There were some disappointments along the way." She sighed softly. "But I just kept telling myself that it would happen someday. And here she is." She smiled then, and Daryl smiled back.

"I think you'll be a pretty good mom."

"You don't even know me."

"Yeah, well, you talk about her like you've been waitin' for her your whole life. "

"Maybe I have," Carol smiled. She glanced at the photo on the dash. She peered at the driver's name and the photo, and she cleared her throat. "I thought this was your cab."

"Huh?"

"Merle Dixon?"

"Oh," Daryl snorted. "Merle's my brother. I take some of his shifts sometimes. Like I said. This ain't a full-time gig." Carol nodded.

"So, what is it you do?"

"Me? I work at the hospital."

"Oh?"

"Maintenance. Things like that. Mostly, I push a floor buffer around and tighten loose handrails. But it pays the bills."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"So, your job gonna let you take time off with her?"

"You could say that. I work from home."

"Yeah? Sounds nice."

"It can be. It can also be distracting. Some mornings I would just rather lay in bed and read a book."

"What is it you do?"

"I'm a writer."

"Yeah? Anything I ever heard of?"

"Maybe," Carol replied with a little grin, as Daryl pulled up outside of her house. "Thank you so much for everything. I really appreciate this. Are you sure I can't pay you?"

"Consider it a baby shower gift. They do those for adoptions, right?"

"Yeah, they can," Carol chuckled. "Thank you, again." She began to unfasten the belt from the car seat, and Daryl got out to help her. He grabbed the diaper bag and followed Carol up to her front porch as she carefully carried the baby. He placed the bag down on the porch by the door and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Here. Ya might need this." He handed her her cup of coffee, and she smiled.

"Yes, thank you." She took another sip and sighed softly.

"You look nervous."

"You think she knows it?" Carol asked, nodding down to the baby.

"Nah. But don't worry. You'll be alright. I mean, even if you mess up a thing or two, she's not gonna know it, right?"

"You know," Carol chuckled, "that makes me feel a little better. Thanks again, Daryl."

"Anytime." He cleared his throat as Carol patted her coat pockets in search of her keys. When she found them, she sighed with relief. "Good luck. But somethin' tells me you ain't gonna need it." Carol smiled then, and she paused at the door as he turned to walk away. She almost called out to him, but then she realized exactly what time it was and how she needed to get the little one settled in so she could attempt to get some sleep herself. Her world had just changed completely in the course of a couple of hours, and she couldn't have been happier.

She watched as he turned at the cab and gave a little wave. She waved back, and when he drove away, she stepped into the warmth of her cozy little house and closed the door behind her. She put the car seat down on the coffee table and stared down at her beautiful baby girl. She took another sip of her coffee before placing it aside, and she rubbed her tired, weary eyes. With a heavy sigh, she slipped off her coat and unbuckled the baby from the seat. She lifted her gently into her arms and placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Welcome home, Sophia."


End file.
